Lint slide



Dec. 1; 1959 J. w. BUZICK, JR

LINT SLIDE 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4 5 9 l 0 l P e S d e l 1 F John W Buzick,J1.

INVENTOR.

Dec. 1, 1959 J- w. BUZICK, JR 2,914,309

LINT SLIDE Filed Sept. 10, 1954 :s Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

John W Buz/c/r, J1: INVENTOR.

Dec. 1, 1959 J. w. BUZICK, JR 2,914,809

LINT SLIDE Filad Sept. 10, I954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 30 John WBuz/c/r J1:

;...... llmlll hm INVENT'O R.

7 LINT SLIDE John W. Buzick, Jr., Monette, Ark. Application September10,'1'9s4,.seria1 No. 455,320

- 7 Claims. (ch 19-66 This invention comprises novel and usefulimprovements in a lint slide, and'more specifically pertains to animproved construction of lint slide whereby excessive moisture will beprevented: from accumulating upon the bottom surface of the lint slideas the result of moisture sprayed upon the batt discharged from thecondenser and delivered by the lint slide to' the baler. I i

It has now become conventional practice: to supply moisture in the formof a spray to the battof lint cotton as the latter is delivered by thelint slide from the lint condenser to the lint baler, in order torestore the depleted moisture content resulting from present day methodsof drying the cotton fiber as a prelude to cleaning the same and passingthe cleaned seed cotton through the gin stands and lint condenser of aginning plant. However, it frequently happens that the sprayingapparatus for supplying moisture to. the surface of a lint batt as thelatter descends the lint .slide to the baler, will directly supplymoisture to the bottom of the lint slide it for any reason the passageof a lint batt thereover is interrupted. When this occurs, the excessmoisture accumulating on the bottom of the lint slide adheres to thesurface, ofthe same and soaks the bottom portion of the lint battproducing undue wetting of the same, as well as impeding the sliding ofthe batt down the surface of the slide. a

It is therefore a primary purpose of this invention to i provide a,simple construction of lint. slide which may be v aforesaiddisadvantages.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a lint slide constructionwhich will prevent the accumulation oflmoisture thereon,.even whensprayed directly thereon by the sprayers, without impeding in any waythe passage of a lint batt therealong.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a lint slide inaccordance with the preceding objects which shall be of inexpensiveconstruction, easily installed in conventional ginning plants betweenthe lint condenser and the baler, and shall be highly efficient for thepurposes intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and inwhich: I ,Figure. 1is a perspective-view showing a portion of a ginning plant including thelint condenser and the baler Y and showing the lint slide operativeiyinterposed thereview through the lint slide ofFig ure 1, and showing theattachment of the lint-slide to the. discharge hood of the condenser andthe inlet hopper of the baling press;

United States Patent Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view'taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 33 ofFigure 2 and upon an enlarged scale,-an'd showing especially theconstruction of the improved" bottom wall of the lint slide inaccordance with thisinvention and its relation to the moisture sprayingassembly of the lint slide; j e

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional detail view' taken substantially uponthe plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of Figure 3 and showing intop plan afportion of the bottom wall of the lint slide; and I Figure 5is a fragmentary view similar 'to Figure 3 but showing a somewhatmodified construction of afj lint slide bottom wall. D

The use of present day heating systems for the seed cottonin cottonginning plants produces such enormous heating elfects that in order toensure that all of the seed cotton will be sutficiently dried for mosteifective. clean ing purposes, an excessive or 'overdrying producedwhich. leaves the seed cotton and the lint cotton deficient or subnormalas regards optimum moisture content. Such lint cotton, from itsoverdrying, is detrimentally affected. as to. its physicalcharacteristics, and. thus. commands a lower price in the market; andthe loss of weight resulting from the excessive removal of moisturefromthe fibers represents a financial lossto the cotton grower and the ginoperator, since the prices which. they receive are based upon the weightof the baled lint cotton. It has therefore come to be accepted practiceto attempt to restore at least in part this excessive moisture loss fromthe cotton fibers, by spraying moistureupon the surface of the lint battas the same descends from the lint condenser to the baler. I

However, this practice seeking to regain the lost moisture of the cottonfibers, possesses the serious disadvantage that if the continuous flowof the' batt of lint cotton down the lint slide is momentarilyinterrupted, as by stoppage of the flow of cotton through the ginningplant for any reason, or a momentary'rupturing of the batt or the like,the continuous spraying of moisture from the spray assembly mountedabove the lint slide serves to wet the bottom wall of the same.

Moisture collecting upon the bottom wall of the lint slide is thusdirectly applied to the bottom surface of the batt where the same, insome. instances at least, serves to o-verwet the bottom layer of thebatt,- thereby detrimentally affecting its properties and valiie." Stillfurther, the wet bottom wall of the lint slide prevents the easy flow ofthe lint batts down the same, causing a sticking of the batt to thebottom wall or a wadding up of the batt, all of which detrimentallyaffects the structure and texture of the batt and consequently, of thebale of lint cotton produced therefrom.

In order to overcome the difficulties arising from moisture collectingupon the bottom wall of the lint slide and being applied to the bottomsurface of the batt,lthe present invention provides an improved lintslide con.- struction wherein the bottom wall is so designed as toprevent the accumulation of moisture thereon, and to minimize the areaof any moistened surface which con: tacts the bottom of the lint batt. I

Referring now more specifically to the drawings which illustrate onepractical manner in which the principles of this invention may beapplied to existing andjco nventional types of ginning plant equipment,it will be. observed that the improved lint. slide indicated generallyby the numeral '10, and which constitutes the subject of this invention,constitutes a shute which is uni-directional and is shownoperativelyconnected to a lintcondenser 12 and the tamper 14 of a balingpress which is indicated generally by the numeral 16. Aswill' seen byreference to Figures 1 and 2, the lir'it'condns'i li which is of anyconventional and known design, is provided with a customary dischargehood 18 by means of which the lint batt formed upon the condensercylinder This batt is inof the discharge hood 18 intothe upper end ofthe lint slide 10. From the lower end of the lint slide, the cotton battpasses into the inlet'hopper 22 which communicates with the interior ofthe tamper 14, the cotton batt being pressed by this tamper down intothe baling press 16 in a manner well understood in the art.

It should be observed that the discharge hood 18 of I the lintconclenserand the inlet hopper 22 of the tamper chamber the baling press are ofany conventional design, andthe conventional lint slide 10 which is inthe form ofa trough having an open top, is replaced by the side walls, abottom wall 28, as by rivets or bolts 30.

The lint slide 10 in accordance with this invention, may be identicalwith a conventional lint slide as to the side walls 24 and 26, thecustomary bottom wall being replaced by the particular construction ofbottom wall shown at 28 and which forms the essential feature of thisinvention.

Likewise shown in the drawings is a header 32 which is supportedtransversely above the top of the side walls, as by a pair of supportingbrackets 34, this header having a plurality of downturned dischargenipples 36, each of which has a spray nozzle 38 thereon. These nozzlesare so positioned that the spray therefrom will be dischargedsubstantially uniformly across the entire width of the batt and inproper quantity to supply the additional moisture to be introduced intothe fibers of the batt. The moisture for the header is supplied from anysuitable source in the form of water or steam, as by a supply conduit 40under the control of any suitable valve member 42 of any conventionaldesign. Since this portion of the apparatus is of conventional designand forms no part of the present invention, a further description anddiscussion of the same is deemed to be unnecessary for the purposes ofunderstanding the invention claimed hereinafter.

As will be best apparent from Figure 3, the bottom wall 28 is formedpreferably of a sheet of light weight material and is provided withalternate elevations or ridges 44, interspersed by troughs or channels46, the ridges and channels extending longitudinally of the bottom wallto provide a corrugated effect therefor. The elevations or ridges 44serve to support for sliding movement the bottom surface of the batt 20,as will now be apparent from'a consideration of Figure 3, so that thebottom surface of the batt is held elevated above the bottoms ofthetroughs or channels 46 which thus serve to collect any moisture whichmay strike the bottom wall, as for example, under the conditionshereinbefore mentioned.

Owing to the incline of the bottom wall, it is obvious that anymoisturecollecting in the troughs will move to the lower end. of thesame and will be discharged therefrom as in the form of a stream 48, asshown in Figure 2.

It will be observed that the upper portion of the side walls and bottomwall of the lint slide are connected in any desired manner about theside walls and bottom of the discharge hood 18, and may be detachablysecured thereto, as by fasteners 50 of any desired character. In asimilar manner, the lower end of the side walls and may be of variouscross-sectional shapes.

bottom wall of the lint slide are received within the side walls andbottom wall of the inlet hopper 22, being likewise secured thereto as byfasteners 50.

In order to remove any moisture collecting upon the bottom wall andrunning down the length of the same by means of the channels or troughs46, a venting means is provided between the bottom edge of the lintslide and the bottom wall of the inlet hopper 22, this vent meansconveniently taking the form of an opening or the like 52. Thus,moisture collecting upon the bottom wall of the lint slide will bedischarged before it reaches the lint batt inlet hopper 22; therebypreventing the accumulation of sufficient moisture upon the bottom wallof the lint slide to detrimentally affect the lint batt.

It is obvious that the principles of this invention are not limited toany particular configuration of the selfdraining bottom wall of the lintslide. As shown in Figure 3, this bottom wall has V-shaped ridges andtroughs', and the top edges of the ridges serve as the support for thecotton batt and due to their relativelysmall area in contact with thebatt, ensure that only a minimum amount of moisture will be impartedfrom the bot tom wall to the bottom surface of the batt. Further, themoisture collecting in the troughs is depressed below the supportedsurface of the lint batt so as to be out of contact with the latter.

However, the supporting ridges as well as the troughs Thus, the topsurface of the ridges'may be flat rather than pointed in order toprovide a greater batt supporting area if desired, and in someinstances, the side walls of the troughs will be undercut so as toprovide a greater width at the bottom of the troughs than at their upperopen ends. This will ensure maximum moisture removal capacity togetherwith a maximum supporting surface area for the bottom wall of the lintslide.

Disclosed in the modified construction of Figure 5 is a modified form ofbottom wall 60, which is mounted in the lint slide in exactly the samemanner as the bottom wall 28. The modified bottom wall has preferablyrounded ridges .62 and channels or troughs 64. The operation of thisform of the invention, however, is the same as that previouslydescribed.

In some instances, I may prefer to provide slots or openings extendingthrough the bottom walls of the troughs 46 or 64 for the purpose ofventing moisture therefrom at other locations than at the lower ends ofthe troughs. In view thereof, it may then be found expedient to omit thedrainage opening 52 and to rely solely upon these openings in the bottomwall of the trough for venting of the moisture collecting upon thebottom wall. Since such constructions are readily apparent andunderstandable, and fall within the scope of this invention, a-furtherdetailed illustration of the same is deemed to be unnecessary.

It should be observed that the corrugated effect of the bottom wallserves the dual functions of removing excess moisture from the lintslide; providing a reduced hearing surface engaging the underside of thelint batt and thereby facilitating downward sliding movement of thelatter through the lint slide; and serves to impart rigidity andstrength to the bottom wall, thereby enabling the latter to beeconomically constructed from relatively thin sheet material.

As one example of a satisfactory construction, the openings 52 may beabout /2" wide and formed between the lower end of the bottom wall ofthe slide and slightly higher than and disposed above the upper end ofthe hopper bottom wall.

The present invention is specifically adapted as an attachment orreplacement for existing conventional lint slides or the bottom wallsthereof in order to adapt them to overcome the disadvantages and defectsresulting from the application of moisture to a lint batt as the latterpasses down the lint slide.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will bereadily understood and further explanation is believed to beunnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction shown and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a cotton ginning plant, an inclined lint slide connecting a cottonlint fiber condenser with a lint baler, said lint slide having side andbottom walls together with a spray assembly operatively associatedtherewith for imparting controlled moisture directly to the top side ofa lint batt, passing by gravity along the slide from the lint condenserto the lint baler, the bottom and side walls of the lint slide being ofsubstantially the same width as that of a lint batt discharged from thelint condenser whereby to maintain unaltered the shape and texture ofthe lint batt during its passage down the slide, said bottom wall beingcontinuous from the condenser to the baler, moisture drainage meansassociated with said bottom wall for discharging excess moisture appliedto and not absorbed by the lint batt to thereby prevent moisture soakingthe bottom surface of the lint batt, longitudinally extending relativelyraised and depressed portions in said bottom wall, said depressedportions having their lower ends extending to the lower end of saidbottom Wall and collecting and discharging moisture accumulating uponsaid bottom wall and said raised portions serving to support theunderside of a lint batt above and out of contact with moisturecollecting in said depressedportions, said depressions at their lowerend communicating with a discharge opening in said bottom wall.-

2. In a cotton ginning plant having a lint condenser and a lint baler,an inclined lint slide comprising a continuous chute extending from saidcondenser at its upper end to said baler at its lower end and alongwhich a lint batt from said condenser slides by gravity to said baler, aspray assembly supported upon said slide and mounted above said chutefor imparting controlled moisture directly to and across the entire topsurface of a lint batt passing along said chute, said chute comprising abottom wall of substantially the same width as that of a lint battdischarged from said condenser and a pair of side walls whereby tomaintain unaltered the shape and texture of the lint batt during itspassage down the slide, said bottom wall comprising a sheet-like panelhaving longitudinally extending relatively raised and relativelydepressed portions, said depressed portions comprising drainage channelsfor moisture collecting upon said panel and said raised portionssupporting the bottom surface of the batt above moisture accumulating insaid depressed portions and means for discharging moisture collecting insaid depressed portions.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said panel is imperforate, saiddepressed portions having their lower ends extending to the lower endsof said panel, said moisture discharge means being disposed at the lowerend of said panel and having said lower ends of said depressed portionscommunicating therewith.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said raised portions are disposedin alternation with said depressed portions. 7

5. The combination of claim 2 wherein said raised portions are disposedin alternation with said depressed portions.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said raised portions are disposedin alternation with said depressed portions, said depressed portionsbeing of greater width and cross-sectional area than said raisedportions.

7. The combination of claim 3 wherein said raised portions are. disposedin alternation with said depressed portions, said panel having V-shapedribs projecting thereabove, the apices of the ribs constituting saidraised portions and the V-shaped valleys between said ribs constitutingsaid depressed portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

